Caul etokne johnson



C. E. JOHNSON INSTRUMENT PANEL FOR AIRCRAFT Dec. 15, 1931 Original Filed July 2, '1929 INVENTOR ATTORNEY 'Reiatued Dec. 15, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE CARL EUGENE JOHNSON OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA, LSSIGII'OB '10 BOEING AIRPLANE COMPANY, 01' SEATTLE, -'WASHINGTON, A OORPOBATIOH OI WASHINGTON INSTRUMENT PANEL FOR AIRCRAFT Original Io. 1,754,954, dated April 15, 1980. Serial No. 875,488, filed July 2, 1829. Application for reluae filed October 6, 1981.

This invention relates to improvements in instrument-panels as used in aircraft, and more especially to the arrangement of the instruments onthe panel, and the, means for certain predetermined conditions of flight, whereby the attainment of all such conditions may be noted at'a glance by the pilot by reason of the several indicating members all 10 coming into a predetermined position rela- 13 moreinstrument pointers from this set relav tionship to the other indicating members-- for instance, into parallelism; thereafter any deviation from such conditions can be noted at a glance by reason of departure of one or tionship. By such an arrangement the object is attained of permitting the pilot to gl ve his sole attention to observation of terrain. maps. radio signals. external conditions and the like, and to enable him to keep watch on his instrument panel without the necessity of precisely reading and consciously noting each ments' upon the panel, and in connectionwith one special embodiment, is the provision of guidemembers (such for example as lines of luminous paint or the like) upon the panel, interconnecting the instruments, and, further. the a plication of luminous paint or the like to the hands and numerals of the instruments, whereby, for a particular setting, the instrument pointers may be made to line up with the lines across the panel, thus affording a ready indication as to whether or not proper conditions of flight are being maintained, during daylight or night flying.

Another object of the invention is the provision of means for mounting the instruments on the panel to permit ofquick and easy rotation, but at the same time arresting all except intentional movement of the inadjusting or setting said instruments for Serial No. 587,875.

struments, this same means providing a cashioned support for the several instruments.

. Theseand other objects will appearas invention is more fully hereinafter .described in the following specification (wherein the principles of my invention are set forth in a preferred embodiment), illustrated in the accompanying drawings in: such embodi ment, and finallydefinedin the appended claims. e V

Figure 1 is a face view of thejnstrument panel as viewed fromthe operatorseoellripit. Figure 2 is'an edgewise plan view of igure . Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional viewof an individual instrument casing, partly in sectlon, showing particularly the means for rotatably mounting and cushioning the instruments.

Figure 4 is a rear view of the construction of Figure 3.

- The instrument panel 1 is inte'nded mounted in front of the pilot of an aircraft,

and upon it are mounted various instruments 7 indicating the conditions of flight. For this purpose the panel may be apjrturedJas indi-' cated at- 1a, to receive the several flight instruments, WhlCh may be,v fo'r instance, the

air-sp eed indicator 2, the rate-of-climb indicator 3, the tachometer 4, and the altimeter 5. Various other instruments-maybe mounted upon the panel as-well, such as the compass and the turn-and-bank indicator, and such instruments may be so'designed as to be ad-- justable or not, as may be desiredor found necessary aecording to the nature and'use of the instruments-,- 7 i Of the several instruments concerned, all

may be identical with' ei'eh' other as far as their shape and size are concerned, and so far as is concerned the method of rotatably mounting them on the panel, which may be the same in the case of each instrument. A description of one instrument and-its mountmg will therefore suflice for all.

The casing of the instrument, at 5a, is preferably cylindrical in shape, and may be formed with an annular enlargement pr flange 6, to wl ich is'secured or with which is formed integrally aring The casof the instrument abuts a retaining ring 7a ing. This frictional which is secured to the panel by means such as bolts'8 and nuts 9.

A hollow cylindrical housing 10 is provided for the instrument, and this is also se cured to the panel by suitable means, such as the bolts 8 and 9 heretofore referred to. ipaced around the periphery of the housing ese are formed of resilient material, such as rubber or the like, and they are rotatably mounted, for instance, upon the pins 12 re ceived in upturned ears 13 of the housing 10. It will be noted in Figure 4'that the circumference of the instrument casing a is greater than a circumference drawn tangentially to all of the rollers in a relaxed positionthat s, with the instrument removed. Now by Inserting the instrument, the rollers become distorted and cause frictional engagement between the rollers and the instrument casengagement permits tnrnmg of the instruments by the applicatlon of some slight force, but prevents their umntentlonal turning, such as might occur fl'Olfl; the vlbratlons generally present in aircra v A pinion 14 is-meshed with the ring gear 7, and 'meanssuch as the knob 16 upon the shaft 1 5, which carries the pinion, permits the plmon, and consequently the instrument and lts casing, to be rotated merely by turn mg the knob.

In such cases where the instruments are provided with metallic tubular connections,

as shown in Figure 2, portions of rubber hose are interposed between the instrument and Ellie end of thettubehto permit of turning of e mstrumen wit out dist b' t1 tame tube. V lur mg 1e me In the ordinary use of this invention, the pilot, before making a flight, would set the instruments so that when the predetermined conditlons of fl ght are attained, the pointers of the several instruments will bear to each other a predetermined position relationship. It is largely immaterial what this relationship may be, but it should be such that the or more of the pointers pilot may, at a glance, ascertain if any one is out of the proper position,;or,conversely, if all of the pointers are properlypositioned. This position re-' -'la t1o nship may be all tendmg horizontally -or all extending at.

parallel, whether exsome given angle to a line extending transversely of the panel, or all may ext'end yertically.

- As a matter of convenienpathen, the in struments maybe so adjusted that when the predetermined conditions of flight have been att'alned, they-will all be horizontal and all are a plurality of rollers 11. Preferably determined position, andif his air-s will point inwardly toward the opposite instruments. This enables the employment of a stralght line .ofphosphorous paint, or any other suitable luminous material, indicated at 17, drawn on the face. of the panel, extending transversely thereof from instrument to instrument, with which the pointers of such instruments may come into alignment. The numerals on the face of each instrument and also the pointers may likewlse be treated with the luminous material, of course for convenience in night flying.

Now, before the Ipilot takes off, he may determine, or know rom experience, that it is necessary for him, in order to clear a distant barrier, or to reach a desired point, to climb at a givenirate, to reach eventually a given altitude, and to travel at a given air speed, which in turn requires that the motor revolve at a given number of revolutions per minute. For exam le, as shown in Figure 1, the predetermined air speed will be ninety miles per hour. The engine R. P. M. will be 1650, as shown by the tachometer. The altimeter may be set so that its pointer will come horizontal when the plane has reached 2200 feet. The rate-of-climb indicator may be set to bring about a climb at an angle of Now when he takes off he knows if his tachometer pointer is in line with the line 17, or otherwise is in the proper and re- I peed 1ndicator is likewise in that predetermined po sition, that the controls affecting these elements require no attention. Likewise, if his rate-of-chmb' indicator is in line with the line 17, or is otherwise positioned in the predetermined relation to the other pointers, he

knows that the controls afl'ecting this con-' dition of flight require n attention. His-'- titude by observing when the pointer of the altimeter attains the position corresponding to the positions of the other pointers. When this condition has been attained, he does not need to climb higher, and he can at-once rotate his rate-of-climb indicator to adjust it to a neutral'or zero position, where again its pointer will take the position corresponding to the positions of the other pointers, and any deviation from this position will be a parent at a'glance, since all pointers sho d 'now occupy the same position (suitable ad-.

ustment having been made in the other instruments to correspond now to level flight).

If, during flight, the airplane started to climb morethan the pilot desired, the rateof-climb indicator would at once--show this, the air speed in cator would show at a glance that this was the .case, and the tachometer would sgieed would be reduced and the air-' mass show a decrease of engine revolutions per minute. Possibily also the altimeter would show an increase in altitude, and this would all be indicated by reason of the fact that the several pointers would assume different attitudes, and would not lie in a symmetrical attitude, one with relation to the others.

What I claim as my invention is: 1. In combination ,I with an instrument panel for aircraft, a plurality of flight-indicating instruments, each including a facelate and a pivotall mounted pointer capais of assuming di erent angular positions with respect to its face-plate, according to varying conditions of flight, and means supporting each instrument from the panel for angular adjustment thereon, to bring each pointer, upon the termined conditions of flight afiecting the several-instruments, into like angular relationship toa line extending transversely of the panel, whereby the pilot may at a glance ascertain that all the predetermined conditions have been or. are being maintained.

2. In combination with an instrument ganel for aircraft, a plurality of flight-inicating instruments, and means for adjustably mounting said instruments on said panel to bring the several indicating elements thereof, when indicating conditions to be maintained static, into predetermined posi tion relationship with elements.

3. combination with a mounting for aircraft instruments, a plurality of instruments each including a pivotally mounted pointer, and means supporting said instruments upon sa1 d mounting for adjustment to bring their pointers, at selected readings, into a predetermined angular relationship to the other pointers at such selected readings.

4. In combination with an instrument all other indicating prising a pluralit said instruments with within housings aircraft attaining predesaid instruments with respect to said indicatm mar An instrument panel for aircraft com of flight-indicating instruments mounts on said panel, indicating 10 marks on said panel and means for adjusting respect to said indicating marks, said means comprisin a housing for rotatably supporting said instruments and means external of the panel for rotative 75 engagement with the instruments.

8. An instrument panel for aircraft comprising a pluralit of flight indicating instruments rotatab y mounted, to said panel which are fixed to thepanel, so rotatable resilient means between the housin and said instrument.

i ed at Oakland, Cali ornia, this 25th da CARL EU Alameda. County, of Se tember, 1931. ENE OHNSON. 85.

ganel for aircraft, a plurality of flight-in ieating instruments each including a cylindrical casing, a face-plate, and a pivotally mounted pointer movable over the face-plate to assume difierent angular positions accordmg to varying conditions of flight, and means supporting each casing from the anal for rotation about its axis, to bring ea pointer, upon" the aircraft attaining predetermined conditions of flight afiecting the several instruments, into parallelism, whereby the pilot may at a lance ascertain which, if any, of the conditions of flight are other than as predetermined.

t5. An instrument panel for aircraft com- WPHSIBg a plurali of flight-indicating in-.

struments adjust ly mounted with I to said panel and guide lines on said panel nterconnecting sai instruments. An'instrument panel for aircraft compnsmg, 'a pluralit of flight-indicating instruments moun on sai panel, indicating ll marks on said panel and-means for adjusting 

